The national government announced it will send a bill to Congress in the coming days to update Mental Health Law 26.657, enacted in 2010. The reform aims to improve the system's response to risk situations, facilitate hospitalizations, and strengthen the care network. Ministry of Health sources emphasized the need to modernize it to match Argentina's reality.
Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni and Health Minister Mario Lugones announced on social media that "in the coming days we will be sending a new mental health law to Congress".
The current law, 26.657, has faced criticism for limiting family-requested hospitalizations and uneven implementation: only 16 provinces have formally adhered, 18 have mental health services in general hospitals, and 20 have internment beds. The Ministry clarified that the bill seeks to "improve the health system's response to situations that the current law does not sufficiently address" and overcome nationwide application challenges.
Proposed changes include adopting WHO's International Classification of Diseases (CIE-10 and subsequent) terminology, sustaining specialized hospitalizations, and building a care network organized by complexity levels, with specialized hospitals for severe cases and general hospital services for mild ones. Information systems will also be strengthened for bed and capacity planning.
The bill incorporates inputs from families, patients, professionals, and judicial actors. It introduces new criteria for involuntary hospitalizations, such as a situational risk assessment considering recent history and foreseeable evolution, with mandatory psychiatrist involvement. In emergencies, ratification occurs within 24 hours, extending judicial notification to 24 hours.
Jorge Macri, Buenos Aires City Government Chief, backed the initiative: "The Mental Health Law does not work. I celebrate that the National Government is advancing with a reform".
